Most grooms, (and why not, brides?) want their proposals to be extra special. But coming up with a truly unique idea is no walk in the park. For starters, you want to surprise your significant other with a proposal that sweeps them off their feet, but you also want to plan ahead in case you have to improvise. You can take the road less traveled and take things really far, like proposing mid-flight and have every passenger hold a rose. You could take your significant other to the movie theater and rent the entire place to yourselves and ask them to marry you while your favorite movie plays in the back. Or you could do what this unnamed Redditor did, and pop the question during an incredible surprise trip to Southeast Asia. Initially, his girlfriend said yes. But after letting it swirl around her head, she decided to return the ring and things got, well… pretty awkward.
Looking For Advice
It all started when Redditor u/zenmonkey99 shared a mindblowing story on the subreddit, Relationship Advice. The confused man is now considering breaking up with his longtime girlfriend after he realized they had very different expectations on the relationship, the marriage, and most importantly, what constitutes a decent proposal.
Dream Trip
On their three-year anniversary, the man decided to take his girlfriend on a lavish trip to Southeast Asia. He first flew the woman to Vietnam and traveled for a couple more weeks. Then, the couple continued their journey and landed in Cambodia. The man’s girlfriend had always wanted to visit Angkor Wat and a few other temples that were on her bucket list.
Surrounded By Beauty
Wanting to scratch a few items off her bucket list, the man took his soon-to-be fiance on a hiking trip. They spent the entire day among beautiful ruins, trekking in the overwhelming heat. He was planning on popping the question in Cambodia and when the time was right, he went right ahead. He said, “After a long day of hiking in the heat through ruins we retired back to our hotel and when we were alone together I proposed and she said yes.” But apparently, his girlfriend had a change of heart.
Second Thoughts
The man added, “We kissed and I had planned to take her to the waterfall the next day to celebrate. It’s really beautiful. She took a shower and I laid in bed thinking what an amazing day I just had and how I would get to spend the rest of my life with the women I loved.” But he could’ve never imagined that things were about to take a turn for the worst.
Change Of Heart
While the man’s girlfriend was in the bathroom, she came to the realization that the way her boyfriend had proposed wasn’t exactly what she envisioned. When she came out, tears were rolling down her eyes and she proceeded to give him back the ring. As you can imagine, this left the man utterly confused and heartbroken.
She Said No
His girlfriend explained that she couldn’t accept the ring because the last thing she wanted was for her memory of the proposal to be tied to a hotel room. The man was dumbfounded. He was caught off guard, so his first instinct was to play it cool and tell her he understood where she was coming from. But he was slowly coming to the realization that he might have to break things off for good.
Having Doubts
In his eyes, he had offered this woman his heart, and lifetime of commitment and love. He had even taken her on a trip across the world to help her scratch off an item off her bucket list. And yet, her only focus was on the proposal itself. Many redditors shared their own personal stories and advised the man to take a deep breath and have a one on one with his girlfriend.
Another Chance?
After rejecting his proposal in the hotel room, the woman told her soon-to-be fiancé to give it one more shot and to take the time to come up with a more romantic proposal. She told him she’d say yes, but the man was having second thoughts.
Too Shallow For Him
The man realized that his girlfriend’s shallowness wasn’t something he’d be able to live with. In fact, he was seriously considering breaking up with her. He wrote, “She can’t possibly value me or what I have to offer as an individual if she’s willing to reject it because she didn’t like the place I asked. I’m preparing to end things when we get back. She wants me to propose again and better and then she’ll say yes, but I’m done. Am I wrong? Should I do it over?”
It Might Be Over
The majority of online commenters felt that the man had gone above and beyond to pull off the perfect proposal, so they advised him to stand his ground and really think things through. A few others questioned if he really wanted to marry her in the first place, and told him that ending it was pretty ludicrous. But the man claimed that the rejection had completely changed the way he felt about his girlfriend. He said, “She is smart so I’m leaning more towards her just not being that into me. I may have misjudged her ability to make a long term commitment as well. She’s never had a long term relationship so maybe that’s just not something she can do”.
I am Camila – Serial tea drinker. Professional wig snatcher. Content creator and video script writer who may or may not be John Leguizamo’s body double. If you don’t like where you are, move. You’re not a tree.
